A Zen Story: Being in Awe

Bassui told the story of a certain patriarch who took one meal a day, never lay down, spent the day in worshipful practice, and lived a life free of impurity or desire. His disciples considered him to surely have attained the Way. But an older patriarch startled the disciples by saying that the teacher's practice was merely "the foundations of delusion."
The disciples challenged the old man. "What deeds allow you to slander our teacher?" they demanded to know.

A Zen Story: Worse than a Clown

There was a young monk in China who was a very serious practitioner of the Dharma.
Once, this monk came across something he did not understand, so he went to ask the master. When the master heard the question, he kept laughing. The master then stood up and walked away, still laughing. The young monk was very disturbed by the master's reaction. For the next 3 days, he could not eat, sleep nor think properly. At the end of 3 days, he went back to the master and told the master how disturbed he had felt.

A Zen Story: Creating Ripples

"The boat is coming to take me home because I have failed in my studies here at the monastery," said the boy to his teacher. "What can I say to my family?"
"Say that you did your best and that is as much as anyone can do," answered the teacher. "But I wanted to be a famous monk and teach others."
"You can."
"How?" asked the sad boy.
"Live from your heart. I will show you. Do you see that boat making its way across the lake with the sun setting behind it?"
"Yes."

A Zen Story: Beyond Outstanding

The Prince of Wu took a boat to Monkey Mountain. As soon as the monkey's saw him they all fled in panic and hid in the treetops. One monkey, however, remained, completely unconcerned, swinging from branch to branch---an extraordinary display! The Prince shot an arrow at the monkey, but the monkey dexterously caught the arrow in mid-flight. At this the Prince ordered his attendants to make a concerted attack. In an instant the monkey was shot full of arrows and fell dead.

A Zen Story: The Messenger

Once when Zen master Bankei was about to leave a temple in the capital where he taught from time to time, a certain gentleman came requesting that the master pospone his departure. A certain baron had a question and wanted to see the Zen master.. ..in person on the morrow to resolve it. Bankei assented and put off leaving.
The next day, however, the gentleman came again, this time with a message that the baron has some urget business to take care of and could not come and see the master.

A Zen Story: The Crystal River
Once there lived a village of creatures along the bottom of a great crystal river.
The current of the river swept silently over them all -- young and old, rich and poor, compassionate and cruel -- the current going its own way, knowing only its own crystal self.
Each creature in its own manner clung tightly to the twigs and rocks of the river bottom, for clinging was their way of life, and resisting the current what each had learned from birth.
But one creature said at last,

A Zen Story: Hoshin’s “Kaa!”

The Zen Master Hoshin lived in China many years. Then he returned to the northeastern part of Japan, where he taught his disciples. When he was getting very old, he told them a story he had heard in China. This is the story: One year on the twenty-fifth of December, Tokufu, who was very old, said to his disciples: "I am not going to be alive next year so you fellows should treat me well this year."
The pupils thought he was joking, but since he was a great-hearted teacher…

A Zen Story: Over the wall

There was an ancient mysterious wall which stood at the edge of a village, and whenever anyone climbed the wall to look onto the other side, instead of coming back he or she smiled and would jump to the other side, never to return. The inhabitants of the village became curious as to what could draw these people to the other side of the wall. After all, their village had all the necessities of living a comfortable life.
They made an arrangement to where they would tie a person's feet, so that when he or she

A Zen Story: The ‘Mind’ Block
The master sculptor surveyed different blocks of marble at the quarry. In his lifetime he learnt that there existed a "suchness" to every piece of stone. Finding that suchness and releasing it to its true life has been the secret for his success. "Ah-ha," he would say. "There is a heroic figure locked in that piece and a saint trapped inside that other one. But where will I find the stone from which I will sculpt my masterwork, a glorious statue of the Buddha?"

A Zen Story: Death Surprised
A merchant in Baghdad sent his servant on work to the bazaar and the man came back white with fear and trembling. "Master," he said, "while I was in the marketplace, I walked into a stranger. When I looked him in the face, I found that it was Death. He made a threatening gesture at me and walked away. Now I am afraid. Please give me a horse so that I can ride at once to Samarra and get far away from Death
The merchant - in his anxiety for the man - gave him his swiftest steed. The servant was on it and away in a trice.

A Zen Story: Tattoo Inside Your Eyelids

"Tattoo inside your eyelids this reminder:

'you are the messenger, not the message.
You are just like everyone else.' "

This was the advice given by a charismatic Zen teacher to a class of Zen teachers-in-training. "What do you mean?" they asked her.
"I'll begin with a story about a besieged town that was surrounded by enemies who would slaughter all the inhabitants if help didn't arrive. Just when things looked hopeless, a messenger slipped through enemy lines with the message…

A Zen Story: Become a Lake
An aging master grew tired of his apprentice’s complaints. One morning, he sent him to get some salt. When the apprentice returned, the master told him to mix a handful of salt in a glass of water and then drink it.
“How does it taste?” the master asked “Salty and awful,” said the apprentice.
The master chuckled and then asked the young man to take the same handful of salt and put it in the lake. The two walked in silence to the nearby lake and once the apprentice swirled his handful of salt in the water,

Zen Story: On Oneness

There was once a holy man who lived in a state of ecstasy, but was regarded by everyone as insane. One day, having begged for food in the village, he sat by the roadside and began to eat when a dog came up and looked at him hungrily. The holy man then began to feed the dog; he himself would take a morsel, then give a morsel to the dog as though he and the dog were old friends. Soon a crowd gathered around the two of them to watch this extraordinary sight.

A Zen Story: Cutting the Branch.

Once there was a king who received a gift of two magnificent falcons. They were peregrine falcons, the most beautiful birds he had ever seen. He gave the precious birds to his head falconer to be trained. Months passed, and one day the head falconer informed the king that though one of the falcons was flying majestically, soaring high in the sky, the other bird had not moved from its branch since the day it had arrived.

A Zen Story - Taming the animals
One day one person climbed up a mountain where a hermit woman was meditating.
She had taken refuge and was asked:
- “What are you doing here alone in such a solitude place?”
To which she replied:
- “I have lots of work !” - “And how can you have so much work?
I don't see anything around you here...?”
- “I have to train two hawks and two eagles, assure two rabbits, discipline one snake, motivate a donkey and tame a lion.....”
- “And, where have they gone that I don't see them?”